The antifouling tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum: Titanium dioxide coatings under visible light

Functional antifouling coatings are becoming a direction of developing for marine antifouling coatings. Herein, tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum modified with titanium dioxide (AlQ3:TiO2) coatings with photocatalytic antibacterial and fluorescent algae inhibition under visible irradiation were prepared. The AlQ3:TiO2 coatings show high antibacterial activity against E. coli with inhibition efficiencies as high as 97.51 %. Meanwhile, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the weak fluorescence produced under visible irradiation have an efficient inhibitory effect on the growth and settlement of algae. Based on the detailed antifouling experiments and electrochemical characterization of the material, a possible antifouling mechanism for AlQ3:TiO2 coatings is proposed.